Retirement?

Well, the rumors are swirling around again about the Undertaker's retirement. The latest is from wrestlingheadlines.com, which said that Taker will only be at TV Tapings and PPVs until his retirement, which some have said could be as soon as WrestleMania. After that, he will take on a Mick Foley- type role. This latest has brought up a question in a wrestling discussion forum I'm a member of- should the Undertaker retire sooner than later or should they bring him out only for the televised shows for a couple years, then retire?

I'm not going to mince words- he isn't what he used to be. Some of the fans have said he's in better shape than he was when he was in the Ministry, which I agree with. He was injured the entire Ministry time and practically crawled to the ring, yet never took the time off to heal up. And while I was happy to see him back at Judgment day, it is obvious he's not the old Phenom, ring and character-wise. Those who really look at him through rose-colored glasses say he's in the best shape ever. I don't know how long they've been watching wrestling, but he's not. Right now, it's painfully obvious that all those years of getting bumped around and not taking much time off for injuries has taken a toll on his body. The Phenom who was known for his agillity, top-rope walks, planchas, and aerial moves has been reduced to brawling. I'm not saying he's in Hogan or Nash territory yet (a level that is the lowest of the low), but he's lost a few steps the past couple years, which isn't his fault; it comes with the territory, so I mean no disrespect in saying it. No one escapes wrestling without permanent effects on the body.

And, now for my personal opinion as to whether he should hang up the boots. I've been an Undertaker fan for so long and he's my all-time personal favorite. I was a fan back in the black and grey days, and continue to be a fan in the American Bad Ass era. I was one of the biggest marks when he showed up after his 9-month absence. But, since he's hit the ring, I've developed the Foley Complex (named due to my involuntary reaction of grimacing or flinching when I saw Foley sail out of the ring or off the top of cages) for him. And this is especially so knowing that he's not as close to 100% as he should be because he wanted to come back badly and knowing that he's already been injured again. With all of this said, I kind of hope that he will retire sooner than later, or at least limit his in-ring time for awhile. The nagging injuries he's had have caused him so much pain, but he kept trucking on for the fans. Now I wish he would just think about himself and get these things taken care of.

The Undertaker character has come full circle, from dead to human, from sinister and supernatural to face and real as real can be. Even Taker himself said he was thinking of retiring, but then decided to give it one last run. He's also said that he doesn't want to end up a has-been and completely crippled, and that he'll retire before that. I just hope he knows when it's time.

 

 

Date Written: (8-8-00)